Supernova

Supernova Rulebook

Table of Contents

1.0 Game Overview

The objective in Supernova is to have the most points when the sun goes Supernova at the end of the game. Points are counted as follows:

Every hex you occupy is worth 1 point
Every moon you occupy is worth 3 points
Every planet you occupy is worth 5 points
Each resource unit (RU = $) you have is worth 1 point
If you have not played your Special Power card, it is worth 4 points

2.0 Game Components

The following components come with Supernova:

11 Center board piece (Supernova board)
5 large board pieces
7 small board pieces
5 play mats
5 screens
3 desperation cards
7 special power cards
40 research cards
6 colonization cards
66 battle cards
6 planet markers
6 moon markers
1 first player marker
1 supernova coin
79 scoring markers
250 control tiles, 54 in each player colour
20 technology markers
25 encounter markers
30 Resource Units (RUs)

3.0 Setup

The board is composed of the center board piece plus a combination of large and small board pieces.

For a 5 player game: use all 7 small board pieces and all 5 large board pieces.
For a 4 player game: use 6 small board pieces and 4 large board pieces.
For a 3 player game: use 5 small board pieces and 3 large board pieces.
The two small board pieces with the planet and the moon are always used.

The Center Board Piece

The center board piece has 12 hexes surrounding the sun. These hexes represent the rounds of the game. Place the Supernova coin on the hex that is labeled 1/1 (initial placement of coin which marks the turns).

Board Setup

Assemble the larger board pieces so that the three-tile sections along the edge of each board are touching the Central Board Piece. (The rulebook shows example layouts for 3, 4 and 5 players. In these examples the planet (a) and moon (b) boards are shown placed after the first round has ended.)

Once players have assembled the board to their liking, the board is populated with the planet, moon and encounter markers. Secretly randomize the planet markers face-down and add an amount equal to the number of players. Place these markers on the hexes in the center of the large board pieces. Turn the 25 Encounter markers face down, mix them up, and place them in a stack next to the board. If you desire less predictable encounters, remove 5 Encounter tokens at random and return them to the box - these markers are not used this game and should remain hidden. Place one Encounter marker face-down on the green center hex of the small board pieces. The rest of the Encounter markers are left face-down next to the game board.

The circular path around each planet indicates the orbit of a moon. There are 3 icons within each path to indicate the possible starting positions for the moons. For each moon path, place one moon on either of the 2 moon icons farthest from the Supernova, with the marker rotated so that the arrow on the moon points toward the Supernova. The moon will follow the arrow along the orbital path. Therefore, the next hex the moon will move to is the next one along the arrow's direction.

The two small board pieces with a moon and planet are not used during the first phase of the game. These two board pieces are turned upside-down, randomized and then placed near the game board for use after phase 1.

Player Setup

Determine who will be the first player. The player to have visited a hot climate most recently goes first; this may also be selected randomly. This person receives the first player marker.

Each player will choose one Alien race and take all of the following components associated with that race: player screen, play mat, 4 technology markers, and 54 control tiles. All of a player's control tiles are considered to be the players' "reserves". During a player's turn a player will take a certain number of control tiles from their reserve for placement on the board or other tiles.

At the beginning of the game, each player starts with 2 Resource Units (RUs). Each player places their RUs behind their screen and sets up their play mat with their technology markers below each technology path, indicating these levels are at 0.

Deal a Special Power card to each player. A player may look at their Special Power card, but they should keep it face down by their play mat. Don't let the other players know your Special Power until you decide to use it. Special Power cards can be used anytime during the game, even during another player's turn. If you are playing a 3 player game, deal each player 2 Special Power cards. Each player will keep one face-down and discard the other without anyone else knowing what it was.

Cards

There are 5 types of cards in the game. Separate the Battle, Research and Special Power cards into decks. Shuffle the decks and place them face down in their own piles beside the game board. Place the Desperation and Colonization cards face-up next to the board. If the Battle or Research card deck is exhausted at any point during the game, the discard pile is reshuffled into a new card deck of the respective type.

Drafting the Battle Cards

Deal 5 Battle cards to each player. Each player chooses one card to keep, then passes the remaining cards to the player on their left. This continues until each player has 4 Battle Cards they have chosen to keep (one of the five Battle Cards is discarded). The remaining cards are then shuffled back into the Battle Card deck. Players keep their hand of Battle cards hidden from other players.

4.0 Gameplay

Global rule: A player's ownership of a planet can not be affected by cards, Solar Flares, or the Supernova.

Turns, Rounds, Phases

The starting player begins each round and completes his turn. Then the other players take their turn following in a clockwise order from the first player. A round is complete when each player has had a turn. A phase is over when all rounds in that phase are complete.

Each game lasts 9 rounds. Phase 1 has 4 rounds, phase 2 has 3 rounds and phase 3 has 2 rounds. The phase and round is indicated with numbers in the hexes surrounding the Supernova in the format Phase/Round. The three hexes with Flare icons indicate a mandatory Solar Flare event or the Supernova, but they do not count as a round. Once the Solar Flare has been resolved at these hexes, the coin is moved to mark the next phase.

Round Sequence starting on Round 1

First player takes their turn
Remaining players take their turns in a clockwise order
The round ends.
- 3a. If the ended round is not at the end of a Phase (the current round hex is not followed by a hex with a flare icon), the Supernova coin is flipped by the first player to determine if a random Solar Flare event occurs. If the result shows the side of the coin labeled 'Stable', nothing happens. If the result shows the "flare" side, the players resolve a Solar Flare event. After flipping the coin, place the coin back on the same round hex that it was previously on. To make for a more "true" random result, flip a regular coin instead.
- 3b. If the ended round is the last in the Phase (round 4 [labeled 1/4] or round 7 [labeled 2/3]), move the Supernova coin to the next hex in a clockwise rotation which contains a Flare icon and a number on it. This signifies the end of phase. The Supernova coin is not flipped. There will be a mandatory Solar Flare Event. Resolve the event. Resolve end of Phase scoring.
- 3c. If the ended round is round 9, (labeled 3/2) move the Supernova coin to the next hex in a clockwise rotation which contains a Flare icon and the number 5 on it. This signifies the end of the game. The Supernova coin is not flipped. There will be a mandatory Solar Flare Event. This mandatory Solar Flare event is called The Supernova. Resolve the event. Resolve the End of Game scoring, tabulate the scores, break ties if necessary and then the game ends.
If the game has not ended, move the Supernova Coin to the next round hex on the Supernova Board Piece in a clockwise rotation.
If the game has not ended, all moons are moved one hex along their orbits, around their respective planets, in the direction that is displayed by the arrow on the moon marker. If a hex is occupied by a control tile, place the moon on top of the control tile.
If the game has not ended, repeat the sequence by going back to step 1

Turn Overview

On each players turn, each player performs a number of actions in sequence.

Turn Sequence

Upkeep
Replenish Battle Cards to maximum
Receive Income/Pay Taxes
Receive Tiles for placement
- 3a) Fortify
- 3b) Place Tiles, Resolve Battle
- 3c) Replenish Cards to 4
Buy/Play Research Cards, Buy Battle Cards, Buy Technologies
Exchange 1 Battle Card, if no Battle has occurred

Turn Specifics

0. Upkeep

Upkeep does not always happen during a players turn. Upkeep only happens if the player has a Research card that is next to the 'unavailable Research Cards' on their player mat and/or if the player has a face-down Desperation card.

All Research Cards next to the 'unavailable Research Cards' position on their play mat are moved next to the area labeled 'available Research Cards'.

If a player has a face-down (previously used) Desperation card, it is flipped face-up so that it can be used again on this turn at the appropriate time.

1. Replenish Battle Cards to maximum

The player adds Battle Cards to their hand until it equals their maximum hand limit. A player's maximum hand limit is equal to 4 cards + their Comms level on their play mat. Typically, a player will only draw a number of cards equal to their Comms level since a player's hand size will frequently be refreshed to 4 cards after Battles.

2. Receive Income/Pay Taxes

Every turn, each player receives 1 RU as regular income. If a player has a moon situated on one of their tiles at the beginning of their turn, they are considered to own that moon.

If any player owns a moon at the beginning of their turn, they receive income from that moon. A player receives 2 RUs as income. This income is received in full:

If no one owns the planet the moon is orbiting

If the same player owns the planet the moon is orbiting

If a moon pays an income to a player and the planet it orbits is owned by an opponent, the opponent is entitled to a tax on that income. The player receiving the income pays a tax of 1 RU to the player that owns the planet, taken from their 2 RU income.

Examples: Red receives 2 RU income, but pays 1 RU as tax to green. Yellow receives 2 RU income and keeps it all as they also own the planet.

3. Receive tiles for placement

The number of tiles a player is allowed to take from their reserves to use that turn is determined by that player's level of Engines technology. The base amount a player may play each turn is 4, if their Engines technology is at level 0. Take one extra tile for placement for each level you have in Engines technology. The placement of tiles each turn represents the player's capture and occupation of space. These tiles can be used to fortify one's own territory, to expand into uncharted space, or to attack other players.

3a. Fortify

To fortify any control tile a player owns on the board - with the exception of a control tile under a planet - a player places a tile on top of the one that they wish to fortify. This control tile is taken from that player's allotted control tiles for that turn. A stack of fortified control tiles does not have a height limit. To fortify a planet, it costs a player 2 control tiles, taken from that player's allotted tiles that turn. One tile is placed on top of their control tile underneath the planet marker; the second tile is discarded to their reserves. If a player wishes to use any of their allocated tiles for fortification, they must do so before placing any other tiles that turn. A player may only fortify any given hex once per turn.

A higher stack of tiles represents fortification of a player's position in space, which increases that hex's defense and offense in relation to its surrounding tiles. If a player is attacked or is attacking another player, they receive a combat modifier relative to the height difference between the attacker and defender. See battles for more information.

Important: Control Tiles used to fortify a player's tiles are drawn from their allotted tiles for that turn, NOT their reserves. The only exception to this is if a player has the Colonization bonus that offers fortification, in which case, this tile is drawn from that player's reserves each turn.

3b. Place Tiles, Resolve Battles

The remainder of a player's allocated tiles after fortification can either be:

a) placed on an empty hex
b) placed on top of an opponents control tile - this results in battle (see Attacking)
c) placed off of the edge of a large or small board piece to place a small board which will contain a moon or planet (see Playing new boards)
d) discarded to their reserves in order to draw encounter markers (see Exploration)

During round one, (labeled 1/1 on the hex on the Supernova Board Piece) all players must place two (and only two) of their tiles against the Supernova board piece. The remaining 2 control tiles must be placed on hexes adjacent to those previously placed tiles (the rulebook shows correct and incorrect example placements). A player may battle on their first turn, if they desire.

Important: When placing tiles, each tile must placed adjacent to one of the player's currently occupied hexes OR the Supernova board piece. Rules for tile placement after the first turn may be altered by Research cards.

Taking Moons, Planets, Encounters

If a player wants to place a control tile on a hex where a moon resides, remove the moon marker from the hex and place the control tile on the hex. The moon marker is placed on top of that player's control tile. Be careful to keep the arrow pointing in the same direction on the orbit as it was when it was picked up.

If a player wants to place a control tile on a hex where an encounter marker resides, remove the encounter marker from the hex and place the control tile on the hex. That player takes that encounter marker - if the encounter must be used immediately, it is resolved. If not, the player may place it behind their screen for use in a future round. Randomly choose and place a new encounter marker on top of the player's control tile when the encounter is taken. This new encounter may only be taken by a different player through a successful battle.

If a player wants to place a control tile on a hex where a planet resides, remove the planet marker from the hex and place the control tile on the hex. The planet marker is then turned over to display the icon underneath and placed face-up on top of the player's control tile. This player immediately takes the corresponding card from the face-up Colonization cards. These Colonization cards typically will increase a player's technology.

Important: The bonus that a Colonization card offers is implemented immediately. If a planet is taken mid-turn, the player may make use of that bonus on that turn (if it is allowed - ie: Fortification may not be utilized until their next turn). Modify the current level of technology that the Colonization card confers, if any.

Desperation Cards

If the planet that was just taken was the last uncontrolled planet, each player who owns no planets immediately takes one Desperation card. If any player loses control of their only planet, they immediately take one Desperation card.

Desperation cards give a player the ability to use one of three bonuses once per turn. The bonuses are as follows:

Take one additional RU as income when they receive their regular income.
Take one additional tile for placement from their reserves when they are receiving tiles for placement.
Fully replenish Battle cards to their hand up to their maximum hand limit (max hand limit = 4 + Comms level) at any point during their turn.

Once the player has taken one of these three actions, their card is turned over until the beginning of their next turn. If they acquire a planet on their turn, their Desperation card is immediately discarded. If a new planet becomes available during the game (by the introduction of a new board piece), every player with a Desperation card immediately discards it. Discarded Desperation cards may be taken again by any player, any number of times, as the planet situation changes during the game.

Attacking

If a player wants to place a control tile on a hex where an opponents control tile is located, they should visually indicate this and then the player will place his control tile upon his opponents and a Battle will ensue. This Battle is then resolved immediately. Battle cards along with various modifiers are used to resolve the outcome of this attack.

Battle

In Battle, the attacker begins by displaying face-down, how many cards they are initially attacking with; the defender may then choose how many cards they initially wish to use. A defender must play at least one card when attacked.

After both players have displayed how many battle cards they are beginning battle with, the attacker may choose to increment their attack by adding cards from their hand to the pile of face-down cards they attacked with. They may increment with any number of cards, provided their total attacking hand does not exceed 4 cards. Any additional cards must not break the rules for playing Battle cards which will be covered in a paragraph further down. Once the attacker is satisfied with their Battle cards, the defender may likewise increment their hand. If a player chooses to pass, the other player may continue to increment. You must pass when you have played four cards. When both players have passed consecutively, the battle is resolved. The players' face-down cards are now shown and the battle outcome is resolved by comparing each players Battle value, which is determined by sum of their Battle cards' numerical total and their combat modifiers.

Example: The attacker and defender both start by playing 2 cards face down. The attacker then adds 1 card while the defender adds 2 more cards.

Combat Modifiers

The game circumstances that provide modifiers in battle are as follows:

Tile Height. Account for the height of the player's stack from which they are attacking, in relation to their opponent's tiles. The player whose tiles are higher gets a bonus to their Battle card total. A height advantage of a single tile results in that player receiving a +1 bonus to that Battle, while an advantage of 2 or more tiles results in a +2 bonus. This bonus is added to the total of their Battle Cards. The tile that they are attacking with does not count towards their height bonus.

A player may battle outwards from the Supernova board to any hex which is adjacent to it. As they are not battling from a hex of their own, the attackers stack is considered to be 0 tiles in height. Event, Moon, and Planet markers do not count towards a tile stacks height, only that players' control tiles.
Level of Technology. A player who has acquired levels of weapons or shields technology can receive a bonus which is added to their final Battle card total. Weapons only give a bonus to a player who is attacking; Shields only give a bonus to a player who is defending.

Example: If a player has Weapons level 2, they would receive a +3 bonus to all attacks, but not when defending. If a player has Shields level 2, they would receive a +3 bonus when defending, but not when attacking.
Crystal Encounter Markers. Crystal Encounter markers can sometimes be used when a player Battles. If a player wishes to use one or more crystals in Battle, they may do so under some restrictions. Silver Crystals can used with any type of Battle cards. Colored Crystals can only be used when a player has a face-down card of the matching color. To use a Crystal in battle, a player may place the Encounter marker alongside their face-down Battle hand at any time while playing Battle cards. These crystals are revealed when battle is resolved - their bonus is added to that players' final Battle card total.

Battle Cards

Battle cards range in value from 1 to 5. There are 3 suits of battle card: Blue, Green, and Orange ranging in value from 2-5, which are known as regular Battle cards.

All Battle cards valued 1 are Silver - this indicates that they are wild. Wild Battle cards contravene regular Battle card rules in that they may be played with any suit, regardless if played with a High Impact Battle card or not. In addition, a player may play as many wild cards per hand as they please, up to a total of 4 Battle cards played. A player my play a wild card as their only Battle card, if they choose.

Each of the three suits have 3 High Impact cards, which have special effects when they are revealed. These effects are as follows:

Power Inverter: The values of each player's highest played card are swapped.
Dual Seeker: This card is worth one less than the highest regular card you play this battle.
Smart Bomb: Your opponent must discard the highest regular card played this battle. If there is a tie, only one of the tied cards is discarded.

If both players have played a High Impact card, they are resolved in the following order:

Dual Seeker
Smart Bomb
Power Inverter

Battle cards may be played in 3 different ways:

Regular Battle cards may be played with other regular Battle cards of different suits, up to a total of 4 cards played. All cards played must be of differing suits; there may not be more than one card of each suit. With this type of hand you may not use High Impact cards.
Regular Battle cards may be played with other regular Battle cards of the same suit, up to a total of 4 cards played. With this type of hand you may use High Impact cards of the matching color.
High Impact Battle cards can only be played with cards of the same suit plus any wild cards, up to a total of 4 cards played. The only exception to this rule is if you only have High Impact cards in your hand. If this is the case you may play just one High Impact card by itself. This High Impact card will have a value of 3 and does not get to resolve any of it's typical effects. Only one High Impact card may be played by a player in any single Battle. A High Impact Battle card may never be played with a single Silver wild card - it must also be accompanied by a card of the same suit.

On occasion, people may play an invalid hand by accident. If this is the case when cards are revealed, it is resolved in the following manner: The invalid cards are discarded and no cards are drawn to replace them. Only the remaining valid cards in that hand count towards that players final Battle card total. If a situation arises where they've played 2 greens and 2 oranges by accident, the opponent gets to choose which 2 cards to discard at that time to make the hand legal, which would be either, 2 green cards, 2 orange cards, or one of each color (assuming that no High Impact card was played).

Example: If Player A were to play a green High Impact card and a blue High Impact card with a Green 5, Player A would lose that blue High Impact card - only the 2 green cards would count in that situation.

After adding up the value of the cards played plus any modifiers mentioned above, the winner is determined. If a tie occurs, the defender is considered the winner. If the attacker loses, the tile they attacked with is discarded to their reserves.

If the attacker wins, the tile they used to attack with is placed on top of the attacked tile stack, if it hasn't already been placed there. This stack of tiles is now considered to be owned by the attacker. After a round of Battle is complete, the Battle cards used in this Battle are discarded and each of the players involved draw one Battle Card.

Important: In addition to any other benefits, when an attacker wins a battle, they receive 1 RU from the supply.

If there was an encounter marker where the Battle took place, the attacker takes the encounter marker. If the encounter must be used immediately (as described by the Encounter outcome guide), resolve the encounter, otherwise the player may place it behind their screen for use in a future round. Place a new encounter marker on top of the attackers's control tile stack when the encounter is taken. This new encounter may only be taken by a different player through a successful battle.

If there was a moon marker where the Battle took place, the attacker places the moon marker on top of the control tile stack. Be careful to keep the arrow pointing in the same direction on the orbit as it was when it was picked up.

If there was a planet marker where the Battle took place, the winner places the planet marker face-up on top of the control tile stack. The player then takes the associated Colonization card from the opponent. The card is read aloud and placed in front of them, face-up. The attacker would then raise their technology level while their opponent must lower their technology by the number indicated on the Colonization card (if applicable).

Example: A planet gives a bonus to Weapons. This planet is currently owned by Player A. Player B attacks their planet and is successful. Player B now increases their Weapons Technology by 2 levels on their play aid, while Player A must now reduce theirs by 2. The Colonization card is given to Player B, who now owns the planet.

Playing new boards

Two small boards are unused at the beginning of the game - one with a planet, one with a moon. These boards may be introduced by players starting in Phase 2. The first player who chooses to place a board does so by indicating they would like to place one of their tiles off of the board. This player then turns over one of the unused boards and places it according the following rules.

Rules for placing new boards:

A new board must be placed adjacent to two board pieces. Both adjacent board pieces must be occupied by more than one player.
The player who introduces the new board may place only one tile on it at this time. No Research cards can allow players to add more tiles to the board. That one tile on the board may, however, be moved by Research cards.

If the board to be placed has the moon on it, the moon must be positioned at the farthest possible location from the player's tile. If desired, both boards may be introduced in Phase 2. A single player may not introduce both boards in one turn.

Once the new board has been placed, play continues as normal.

Exploration

Encounters may be taken through exploration. A player who wishes to explore returns one of their allotted tiles to their reserves and randomly takes 2 Encounter markers from the pile next to the board. A player may do this more than once per round but may not do the action at all if there is no Encounter markers remaining. If an encounter marker must be used immediately (as indicated below), resolve the encounter; otherwise, the player may place it behind their screen for use in a future round.

If an Encounter requires a player to forfeit a tile or an RU and the player is unable to do so this turn, the marker is placed in front of them and its action is enforced in the players next turn when they have the RU or control tile available to discard. Encounters are discarded when used; discarded Encounters are removed from the game.

Encounter Outcome Guide

Blue Crystals (2 available): Gives +1 to attack or defense when used with a blue Battle Card during Battle.
Green Crystals (2 available): Gives +1 to attack or defense when used with a green Battle Card during Battle.
Orange Crystals (2 available): Gives +1 to attack or defense when used with an orange Battle Card during Battle.
Silver Crystals (1 available): Gives +1 to attack or defense when used with any Battle Card during Battle.
Comms Enhancer (1 available): Draw one extra Battle card for this turn only. If unused, it is discarded.
Plasma Shield (1 available): Gives +1 to shields. May only be used when defending in Battle.
Rescue (3 available): The player gains 1 tile for placement. Must be used immediately.
Recover Lost Squadron (2 available): The player gains 2 tiles for placement. Must be used immediately.
Ore (2 available): Gain 1 RU. Must be used immediately.
Repair Damage (3 available): The player must immediately pay 1 RU.
Asteroid Impact (3 available): The player immediately discards one of their alloted tiles for this turn to their reserves.
Empty Space (3 available): Nothing happens.

3c. Replenish Battle Cards

After all combat and tile placement is resolved, the player draws enough Battle cards to fill their hand back to up 4 - they do not replenish to their maximum hand limit at this time. Any other players that were involved in Battle this turn also replenish their hands to 4 cards at this time. A player may only replenish to their maximum hand limit at the beginning of their turn, unless using a Research card or Desperation card.

4. Buy Technologies, buy Research Cards, buy Battle Cards

A player may use RUs to:

increase their technologies
to purchase Research cards
to purchase Battle Cards.

4a) Increasing Technologies

Technologies give the player the ability to increase his aliens capabilities in a number of ways. Different technologies give different results, respective to the level. They are as follows:

Engines - Grants a bonus number of tiles for placement during the player's turn equal to the Engines level.
Comms - Grants a bonus number of Battle cards that a player may hold in a turn equal to the Comms level. When someone purchases a level in Comms, they immediately draw 1 Battle card.
Shields - Grants a bonus to a player's defense modifier in Battle (this bonus is only applicable when a player is attacked).
Weapons - Grants a bonus to a player's attack modifier in Battle (this bonus is only applicable when a player attacks an opponent).

Important: A player may only purchase one level of each technology per turn. It takes effect immediately upon purchase.

The cost in RU to increase a level of technology is equal to its current level number. i.e., level 3 costs 3 RUs, level 4 costs 4 RUs, etc. This cost is regardless of whether the current technology level number is being modified by a Colonization card or not. A player may only buy subsequent levels of technologies if they own the preceding level, i.e., A player may buy level 4 shields only if they own level 3 shields. A player may never go beyond a level 5 in any technology regardless of Colonization card modifiers.

Technology bonuses differ, according to the technology type. Engines and Comms give the same amount of bonus as their level, ie: a +1 bonus for level 1. Weapons and Shields each give a bonus of 2 for level 1, a bonus of 3 for level 2, and so on.

Example: In the rulebook's illustration, the blue player will receive a bonus of 3 for shields, 4 for weapons and 2 for engines. No bonus will be given for comms as they have not invested in this technology.

4b) Buying Research Cards

Research cards can be purchased at a cost of 1 RU per card. A player may buy as many Research cards as they wish on their turn. When purchased, they are placed face-down in the 'unavailable Research Cards' position on their play mat. At the beginning of that player's next turn, all Research Cards are moved to the 'available Research Cards' position and remain in the facedown position until used. A player may look at their own face-down Research cards at any time.

When a player has one or more Research cards in their 'available Research Cards' position on their play mats they may be played. A player may only play 1 Research card during their turn. When playing Research cards, follow the instructions on the card to determine when it may be used, carry out the effect, and then discard the card.

4c) Buying Battle Cards

If desired, a player may spend 1 RU during the purchase phase of their turn in order to improve their Battle hand. They would then draw 3 Battle cards from the deck and immediately discard one of those three. The player would then have the option to choose to keep up to two of the remaining cards. For every card the player wants to keep, they would need to discard one card from their current hand. In this way, a player's hand will always stay the same size and they may never keep more than 2 of the cards they bought.

5. Exchange 1 Battle card if no battle happened this turn

The player has the option to choose one card from their hand to discard if they have not participated in a battle during their turn. If they do so, they draw one card from the Battle deck.

5.0 Solar Flares, End of Phase Scoring

Solar Flares - Determining

If the ended round is not at the end of a Phase (the current round hex is not followed by a hex with a flare icon), the Supernova coin is flipped by the first player to determine if a random Solar Flare event occurs. If the result shows the side of the coin labeled 'Stable', nothing happens. If the result shows the "flare" side, the players resolve a Solar Flare event. After flipping the coin, place the coin back on the same round hex that it was previously on. To make for a more "true" random result, flip a regular coin instead.

Solar Flares - Resolving

When you are resolving a Solar Flare event, all players secretly take as many RUs in hand as they wish to bid in order to control the Solar Flare. All players put their fists forward (holding any RUs they wish to bid) and when everyone is ready, these bids are displayed simultaneously. The highest bidder pays all RUs while the losing bidders pay half (rounded up) of the amount they bid for the Solar Flare. Players are not required to bid any RUs for the Solar Flare; they must still take part in the bidding process.

If there is a tie - this is the case if no one bids or if there are multiple ties on a bid - every player tied for the highest bid must Battle to determine the winner. This Battle is slightly different than regular, as outlined below.

When Battling for control of the Solar Flare, technology bonuses are not taken into account. All players taking part in the Battle are considered to be attackers; all players simultaneously choose a Battle card hand containing at least one card and a maximum of 4 cards and place the cards face down in front of them. No players may choose High Impact cards when creating their Battle card hand unless they only have High Impact Battle cards. If this is the case you may play just one High Impact card. This High Impact card will have a value of 3 and does not get to resolve any of it's typical effects. When everyone is ready, all cards are revealed. After this, if there is one person with the highest combat value, they win the Flare. If there are multiple people with the highest value, these players continue to battle. Anyone that did not tie for the highest Battle value is eliminated from the remainder of the tiebreaker battle rounds. Each of these tie breaking Battles are considered a round and after every round of Battle each player still involved draws one card from the Battle card deck. After a winner is determined, all players that battled in at least one round replenishes their hand to a maximum of four cards and not their maximum hand limit.

Important: No incrementing of Battle is allowed when determining the winner of Solar Flares.

The winner of the Solar Flare may burn up (discard to their owner's reserves) control tile stacks on 2, 3, or 4 hexes, depending on if the Flare occurred in Phase 1, 2 or 3 respectively. The player who wins the Solar Flare/Supernova may burn off tiles owned by more than one player, if desired. This player may even choose to burn off their own tiles.

Important: This player may NOT burn tiles from a hex on which an opponent owns a planet - see the Global Rule: A player's ownership of a planet can not be affected by cards, Solar Flares, or the Supernova.

This removal must start from one of the hexes adjacent to the Center Board Piece. The remaining tiles to be removed must be:

Adjacent to the Center Board Piece

Adjacent to a previously burned tile space

(The rulebook shows correct and incorrect examples of burn patterns.)

The player who wins the Solar Flare chooses the player that becomes the new starting player. The First Player marker is placed in front of this player to indicate this. The round sequence for every subsequent round now begins with them, unless this is changed by another Solar Flare event. A player may choose themselves as the starting player.

End Of The Phase

At the end of round 4 (labeled 1/4) and round 7 (labeled 2/3), move the Supernova coin to the next hex in a clockwise rotation which contains a Flare icon and a number on it. This signifies the end of a phase. The Supernova coin is not flipped. A mandatory Solar Flare Event occurs. Resolve the event. Resolve end of Phase scoring.

End Of The Phase Scoring

Points are awarded as follows for end of phase scoring:

Every moon you occupy is worth 3 victory points
Every planet you occupy is worth 5 victory points

The points attained from both of the end of phase scoring rounds are kept behind your screen and then are added to the points you get from the end of game scoring.

6.0 Supernova!

At the end of round 9 (labeled 3/2), move the Supernova coin to the next hex in a clockwise rotation. This hex contains a Flare icon and the number 5 - it signifies the end of the game. The Supernova coin is not flipped. There will be a mandatory Solar Flare Event. This mandatory Solar Flare event is called The Supernova. Resolve the event. Resolve end of Game scoring, tabulate scores, break ties if necessary and then the game ends.

Resolve the Supernova as you would a normal Solar Flare. The Supernova burns off 5 hexes of control tile stacks. After the selected tiles are removed by the winning bidder, the game is over and final scoring begins.

Important: Solar Flares may not burn an empty hex unless all hexes adjacent to the Supernova/Center Board Piece are empty, in which case that empty hex is counted towards total number of hexes you may burn for this event.

Final Scoring

Points are awarded as follows for end game scoring:

Every hex you occupy is worth 1 victory point
Every moon you occupy is worth 3 victory points
Every planet you occupy is worth 5 victory points
If you have not played your Special Power card, it is worth 4 victory points
Each resource unit (RU = $) you have is worth 1 victory point

The score here is added to their current points from both of the previous Phase scoring.

The player with the most points wins the game and declares their race as the most advanced of the new intergalactic settlers!

Breaking Ties

If players have the same number of points at the end of the game the tie is broken in the following order:

The winner is the player who has NOT used their special power
If all of the tied players have or have not used their power, the winner is the player with most non-covered visible tiles on the board since they have the greatest empire.

7.0 Special Power Cards, Card Clarifications

Special Power Cards

Special Power cards are extraordinary one-time capabilities. The player may use their Special Power card or keep it for extra points at the end of the game. Special Power card usage is as follows:

Special Power cards can be played at any time.
If a player's Special Power card is unused at the end of the game, it counts as 4 points toward their final score.
Special Power cards are discarded when used.

Card Clarifications

Special Power card - Resource Hijacking: This card can be played at any time. Once in play, it is not discarded until the beginning of the Hijacking Player's next turn. When this card is used, every player that would normally receive 2 RU as income from a moon must pay the Hijacking Player 1 RU. If a player's moon pays 1 RU tax to an opponent, the Hijacking player would receive both RU. A player never has to give their base income of 1 RU to a Hijacking player. This Special Power can be extended to affect some players twice if the First Player - and subsequently the turn order - changes before it is discarded.

Special Power card - Technological Wizardry: The rule "A player may only buy one level of each technology per turn" is still enforced when this card is used. It can be used before you begin your first turn on the first round to allow you to place 5 tiles on your first turn.

Colonization card - Eorthal: You may not fortify planets with these fortifications, only regular tiles or moons. Planets may only ever be fortified at a cost of 2 tiles per fortification. You may not break the rule that allows you to fortify a tile more than once per turn. This fortification has to be done during step 3a on your turn.

Research card - Plasma Shield: Only 1 of your tile stacks may be burned from the current flare. A single tile is considered a stack. This card may not be used to prevent tiles being burned from the Supernova, only Solar Flares.

Research card - Retreat!: This card could be used during battle to make an opponent discard the cards they attacked with. They would then have to choose a new battle hand to use to counter their opponent's hand immediately after drawing a new hand.

Research card - Surface Eruption: This card should be revealed if you have won control of a solar flare in order to add 1 hex to the distance that is normally burned.

Research card - Industrial Espionage: Choose up to two opponents; each opponent must discard one Research card randomly. If one opponent is chosen, they must discard 2 Research cards randomly.

8.0 Variants

Shorter Game

Play the game as normal, except play to only 6 rounds. Remove one large board piece and one small board piece before beginning. Skip the last round in each phase - place a penny or a random game component on this hex to remind players that it is ignored.

Unstable Sun

If you are finding that there are not enough Solar Flares, flip the coin at the end of the round the same number of times as the number of the current Phase. For example, flip it twice during phase 2, three times in phase 3.

Powerful Planets

Planets have an inherent +1 to defense when attacked. Add this to the defender's Battle card total when determining the victor.

Attack!!!!

The attacker wins all ties in Battle.

Incremental tension

When Battling, both players turn over their initial cards played before they increment their attacks. Cards used to increment the attack is played face-down. Players must play at least 2 cards before incrementing their attack.

Slightly Less Desperate

When using the Desperation Card to replenish your Battle Cards, adjust the amount you re-draw in one of the following ways:

Replenish to your Max Battle Cards -1 card

Replenish to your Max Battle Cards, less the current # of Battle Cards in your hand. Example: Joe has 2 Cards left in his hand. He has Comms level 3. His Max Battle Cards is 7 - 2 (in hand), so he can replenish up to 5 cards. He uses his Desperation Card at this time to draw 3 Battle Cards.